


Where Dreams Begin and End

by atinyinwonderland



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Attempted Murder, F/M, Guns, Mafia AU, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24459877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atinyinwonderland/pseuds/atinyinwonderland
Summary: There’s a reason Hyejin can’t fall asleep until Jongho does. It’s the reason for insomnia and turning in bed, unable to rest. Every night, unbeknownst to them, they share dreams. Sometimes they radiate warmth and peace; other times the scenes are unsettling; more often than not, they wake up startled by the deafening sound of gunshots. Only when their paths cross do they realise their connection. But she’s trouble and he has a body to deliver. He attempts to kill her; that’s where it all begins.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

The quiet and darkness of the night had always comforted him. Jongho found something close to relief in the stillness and cold air, a halt in the hastle that the daylight coaxed into the city. It was better when the streets were empty, save for a couple souls that ventured late into the early morning. The city almost belonged to them from midnight till dawn, and he basked in the power that that made him feel, however fleeting it was in reality.

Almost every night, Jongho found himself wandering empty alleys at those late hours, keeping watch over some shipment, making sure the city was as quiet as it seemed. Trading guns had never been among his dream jobs back in school, but being an astronaut was a tad bit harder than he had ever hoped for, and honestly, probably overrated. He actually liked his job, the thrill of knowing something could go awfully wrong and the utter satisfaction of never getting caught. Like a child who chased waves on the beach only to run from then when they got too close; that was the game Jongho liked playing. The waves were other people, either police or another group trying to take over their cargo, though none of them had ever been a real threat, at least not in the years since he'd joined Ateez. The real threat were those in between, groups who wanted the trading business gone, though not for their own profit. Activists, though a little more agressive than what the general public had in mind. Had he not been directly involved as he was, perhaps they would be the ones he'd cheer for. But right now they were the ones he was searching for, as he waited for the next delivery truck. 

His eyes scanned every window, each corner, even rooftops. The chances of anyone figuring out their schedule were close to none, but somehow they had managed a few times already. One of those times, successfully sabotaging their cargo by setting a whole truck on fire. That was only a few weeks ago. It was a loud mess that costed them hundreds of thousands and got the police on their neck; Hongjoong had been furious, even ordered retaliation if they ever interfered again. Civilians or not, they shouldn't be messing with their business. 

The lights blinded him for a moment when the truck made its way down the alley. Instinctively, he took a step towards the trash can, where the assault guns were waiting in case they were needed. There were no movements in the shadows though, and he breathed a little easily once he got sight of Yeosang behind the wheel and Mingi right next to him. Yunho and Seonghwa jumped out from the back, and then the four men were moving boxes as Jongho’s gaze remained fixed on the street and the rooftops. His watch didn’t end until the place was locked, then San would look over it -gun at the ready- from one of the windows of the neighbouring building until the buyers came to pick it up. It seemed they would have a quiet delivery this time.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep” Seonghwa told them later, securing the key in his pocket. “I’ll go tell Hongjoong the buyer can come. Good job guys.”

“Anyone up for a beer?” 

“Mingi, it’s 8 in the morning.”

“I’m in if there’s chicken” Yeosang agreed. Seonghwa rolled his eyes in disbelief and jumped into the truck.

“Are you coming?” Yunho asked Jongho once they were driving back to their place. 

“No, I need to get some sleep.”

“Having trouble sleeping again?”

“For the past few days. I think it’s been 42 hours since I last slept.” Even now, he was barely keeping his eyes open, the thrill of the watch wearing off, the lull of the moving car not helping at all.

“You should get that insomnia checked” Seonghwa said with concern. 

He had, some years ago. But none of the sleeping pills or relaxing exercises had worked completely. It's not like he couldn't ever fall asleep, it was just that sometimes his mind wouldn't allow him. As tired as he was, there were times when sleep just wouldn't come. He was used to it by now, so luckily it had never interfered with the job. 

When they arrived home Jongho went straight upstairs, took everything off and fell asleep as soon as his body touched the mattress.

In the dream, he was following someone. The street was quiet, except for the muffled music from the club she had just left. She was alone and pissed, judging by her quick strides. Long dark hair floated behind as she went on with her path, Jongho's gaze focused on the exact spot where her neck was, for that was his target. He quickened his steps, getting closer so smoothly that she hadn't even noticed he was there. Thread tense and secured around his hands, he closed the distance and put it around her neck. Her hand thrashed against his arm, fighting to pull him away, the head of a snake staring angrily at him from the back of her hand. That only made him tighten his hold on her neck, her body struggling against him, trying to get free. 

Jongho woke up startled, disoriented, to the smell of lavender filling his nostrils. He sprinted towards the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face, willing himself to wake up. He used to have those kind of dreams, though they had never felt so real, nor had they ever been that dark before. He could almost feel the thread around the leather of his gloves, but he searched his hands and there were no marks there. He sighed and closed the faucet, it had just been a nightmare. He didn't give a second thought to it as he walked back to his room and put on some clothes, getting ready for another day.

"I need you to take care of someone" Hongjoong told him. His boss stared expectantly from behind the desk, fingers entwined, hands resting against his chin as he seemed to wait for an answer. It wasn't the first time they'd had that conversation, though it wasn't as frequent as one may think, given their line of work. Jongho nodded, squaring his shoulders.

"Who?"

"Wooyoung found one of the bastards who burned our cargo" he explained, "I want her gone." 

Although his voice was as stern as always, Jongho could see the hint of doubt in his eyes. It was always there whenever he asked something like this out of them, as if expecting opposition or judgement on their part, as if seeking their validation too. 

"Are we chasing after all of them? They're not actually criminals, how will that sit with our friends on the police?"

"I thought about that too. That's why it'll be only one. A purge would be too suspicious when they are openly targeting us. But one death won't be. It happens everyday, and in this case, sends a message that hopefully will lessen their appetite for any more interfering with our job."

He had a point. He usually did.

"Alright, where do I find her?"

"Wooyoung will update you on that" he said, and Jongho knew the conversation was over. He pulled his chair back to stand and leave, but the voice of his leader made him halt. "Jongho, make it quiet; no guns."

"Then what happens with the message? Don't you want them to know it was us?"

"I'll handle the message, you just give me a body."

He found Wooyoung in what they liked to call the brain. It was a small room with a tiny window near the ceiling where the computers were, but the name made it sound much more interesting. None of them actually liked the claustrophobic space, but Wooyoung didn't seem to mind it. He spent most of his time in there, surrounded by more screens than Jongho would be able to set up together and doing his hacking stuff. He wasn't sure where Hongjoong had found him nor why he ended up working with them, but having a hacker on the team did come in handy most of the time.

"Hongjoong said you got a name for me?" Wooyoung jumped startled on his chair and glared at Jongho as he perched himself on the empty corner of the desk.

"How do you even manage to not make a sound when you walk, seriously?"

"Years of practice, you could use it."

"I'm fine, thanks." His eyes went back to whatever he'd been doing, the glow from the screen lighting sharp features. "The activist, right?"

"Yes. Who is she?"

"Here, Jung Hyejin" Wooyung gestured for Jongho to get a look at the screen. The girl staring at him should be around their age, but she was ahead in having a criminal record. Her mugshot was replaced by her social network profiles as Wooyoung began his briefing. "She's been involved with the SP for a few years now. She's not one of the leaders but seems to be at the center of everything. From her mails and texts, I'd say she's the one planning their moves and organising the people when they happen, but she's smart enough to not share too much info through her phone, so we can't really know."

"Should I bring it back, her phone?" Jongho asked, going over the pictures. She seemed average enough, surrounded by friends and sharing with the world what she'd had for dinner. It was a shame she hadn't stick to just doing that. 

"Yes, not a bad idea. Though I doubt there'll be much more than what I already found."

Jonho nodded, his eyes drawn to the police profile. "And why did she get arrested?"

"That was three months ago" Wooyoung explained, dragging the record to a bigger screen. "They were striking during the climate meetings the government held. Her and a few others sneaked into the building but never made it to the conference room."

"They really think they can change the world, huh?" The idea seemed so naive to him, not worthy losing their life for. "And how do we know she sabotaged our cargo that day?"

"Their group is in a bit of an identity crisis right now, and not everyone likes her. Apparently she's been going a little kamikaze lately and that's not settled well with the one who ratted her name to us."

"And you cannot say who told you this" Jongho guessed.

"You are correct. But I've checked that the source is not lying, if that's what worries you." Wooyoung spun around in his chair and gave Jongho a lopsided smile, trying to comfort him perhaps. "From what I've gathered, she might as well have been the one who lit the match that night."

Jongho tried to puzzle together the pictures in the screen with the profile Wooyoung was providing. They didn't seem to match, but people were rarely ever what they showed to the world, he knew something about that.

"Well, where do I find her?"

The houses seemed familiar, though he was convinced he'd never been to that part of the city before. Jongho lit a cigarette, a puff of smoke clouding his vision for a second. With each drag he felt a little warmer, a little calmer. He had been tailing the target for 6 hours, but she just wouldn't remain alone. She had left her apartment with someone, had dinner with some more people, and then came to this bar that he couldn't bear to stay in. After gulping his drink, he had decided to wait outside, leaning patiently against a nearby building, blending with the shadows though there was no one around to suspect his behaviour. The streets were quiet that late at night, just the way he liked it. 

He took a long drag off the cigarette and let his thoughts wander to previous versions of that very scene. It wasn't the first time Jongho chased someone, waited them out to strike when they were alone, defenseless. He was a hitman of sorts, after all. Someone who strayed a little too far from their initial agreement, someone that threatened any of them with personal details, one that endangered their little deal with the police, another that sabotaged their shipment by setting it on fire... All of them dangerous threats that shouldn't be. Jongho felt no remorse in keeping his members and their job safe from them; he wouldn't hesitate to get his hands dirty whenever was needed. It was their fault for crossing them in the first place. 

As familiar as the scene was, he didn't like the waiting, and that night the waiting was all there seemed to be. Jongho finished his third cigarette and tossed it aside. Then the door to the bar opened and she came out into the street, securing a jacket around her shoulders to keep the cold night air at bay. He watched her leave, waiting for someone to come after her. When she was far enough and no one did, he stepped out of the shadows and traced her steps, feeling relieved that the waiting was done and the chase was almost over.

His smooth steps didn't make a sound against the pavement, though he could hear her stomps ahead. He noticed she was walking rather fast, her hands on fists and shoulders tense. Jongho quickened his steps, closing the distance as his hands meddled with the thread. He had chosen that weapon for the sake of irony, a twisted private joke he'd probably never tell anyone. He tensed it in his hands as the space between his prey and him grew smaller. As expected, she hadn't even noticed he was that close. Jongho raised his arms, ready to get the chase over with. 

And then she turned around and saw him there. He could swear recognision crossed her gaze before she turned back and ran. Or rather tried, as he lowered his arms and caught her right before she could slip out of his reach. Her fingers stood between the thread and her neck, but fighting would be pointless now that he got a hold on her. She tried to scream, but all that came out were choked cries. Then she started thrashing in his hold, kicking blindly and getting nowhere. Jongho seized the thread tighter, causing her head to knock against his chin. It smelled of lavender. 

With every step which had brought him closer to her, Jongo had noticed the similarities with his dream, they were really hard to miss. But it wasn't until then that it occurred to him, that perhaps it hadn't been just a dream. Dreams had no smell, they weren't this close to reality. He tried to ignore the scent of her hair but it was useless, it had settled somewhere within, like those times he noticed something and the thought wouldn't leave his mind afterwards. He wished she would stop fighting, she was only dragging on the inevitable, the strange coincidence was only making him anxious. Then, the hand which wasn't trapped under the thread started throwing punches, pulling at his arm. The eyes of the snake stared directly at him. 

That was too much for a coincidence. Jongho let her go.

The girl dropped to the ground and crawled away, coughing wildly, gasping for air. He couldn't tear his eyes from the tattoo on her hand. It was exactly like the one he'd seen in his dream. She looked up at him, eyes teary and completely terrified. And then he noticed, she had looked back before he attacked her, though there was no way she could've noticed him. It had been only a second, but when she had first looked at him, there had been recognition in her eyes, right before she tried to run. Jongho stared at her, unable to move, trying to make sense of anything about that night.

"You dreamt about this too?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the first part of this little story!! It’s still planning itself but I think it’ll be around 5-7 chapters. I’ll try to update weekly, but can’t promise anything. I’m not sure about what to include in the warnings, so if you see something that could be triggering and is not included please let me know. Ask is always open, so don’t hesitate to drop your thoughts on this. Thanks for reading!! -Wo


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Violence, trauma, mentions of anxiety, kidnapping

Her throat burnt with every breath taken, but she couldn’t stop gasping for air. Her vision was blurry, whether from oxygen depravation or tears didn’t really matter, she needed to run. Her limbs felt weak, hands trembled as they covered her neck from further attempts against it, the man who had just tried to kill her spoke softly to her. She didn’t answer, still busy recovering as much air as would go past her throat, her mind a franctic mess of insticts calling to her all at once.

As terrified as she was, Hyejin managed to raise to her feet. Her stumbles turned into steps, her steps into strides, and then she was running away, not really aware of her surroundings or direction, she just put more and more distance between that man and herself. She ran and turned corners and tumbled a few times until the streets became a blur of neon signs. She was running past people now, but she couldn’t stop to ask for help, her feet wouldn’t stop moving, her mind wouldn’t stop picturing the psycho right behind her. She could still feel his breath on her scalp, his strong arms a ghost that surrounded her even if she had taken back her freedom. Hyejin glanced behind but he wasn’t there. Still she kept running with weaker strides, her throat kept burning, her heart felt about to jump out of her chest.

Calm didn’t found her until she reached her home and locked herself in. Then she broke down in sobs against the door, crouched on the floor, her nightmare come to life.

Then she woke up.

Hyejin sat up startled on a bed she didn’t recognise in a room she’d definitely never seen before. Her eyes searched franctically around for any clue as to where she was while her brain tried to recall how she got there in the first place, but there was nothing. The last thing she found in her memories was that man towering over her form on the ground; her last thought about trying to stay alive. Then it’s all blank.

Her hands reached for her neck at the memory. A shudder settled deep in her core. She had to will her own hands to keep from trembling at the feeling of soreness that came when her fingertips got in touch with the battered flesh. Dream and reality were so tangled that she hadn’t been able to tell one from the other until she noticed the mark on her skin; the tangible proof that it had been real, not just a dream. Someone had actually attempted on her life. For some reason, he hadn’t finished what he started but brought her here instead.

Fear fueled her enough to snap out of the shock and try to run. But she couldn’t.

Hyejin hadn’t noticed the restraints until she tried to stand from the bed. Fear grew into panic as she pulled at the ropes around her wrists and ankles, but to no avail. They were tightly secured, though not so much as to leave dents in her skin; that was her own doing, from pulling and trying to get free. The skin of her wrists burnt with every move against the sore ropes but she wasn’t able to stop herself, her mind working so much slower than her body. Hyejin felt like a silent spectator to her own struggle.

“You’re awake” the deep voice sent shivers down her spine. Hyejin turned to look at the man from her dream, the very same who had given bruises to her neck while trying to kill her, standing by the door, just staring. “You should stop that, there’s no way you’re getting them off by yourself.”

Either she listened or froze, but her arms stopped struggling to get free. Hyejin crawled back until she felt the headboard pressed against her back, knees up against her chest so she’d be as far as possible from him. She watched him in silence, taking his features in, trying to pull a name from her memories. Dark hair and tanned skin, a soft nose, round cheeks, defined jaw. She could only recall him from her dream.

“Who are you?” she cringed at the sound of her own voice, rasp from the assault.

“That many enemies, huh?” he chuckled. “You have a serious problem if you don’t know who might be after you. Think. Who have you pissed lately?”

She went over the last month in her brain; there had been so many open fronts. The factory worker’s protest, the assault to that brothel, the weapon dealers, the paintings at the police station… They had pissed a lot of people lately, but they had always been careful to conceal their identities. How had this one managed to get to her? Which of their targets would actually pose a threat to their lives? Police was not an option, they would’ve just arrested her. And the business pigs seemed unlikely too; apart from scamming their employees, there was nothing dangerous about them. Hyejin examined his dark clothes and the way he stood, as if on alert. He was definitely part of one of the mafias. Just seeing him there made her sick, but perhaps if she gave him some answers this nightmare would be over sooner.

“Guns or women?” her throat hurt with every word, she was tied and terrified, but she kept the tears at bay.

“So the brothel thing were you too. We’ll have to be careful so you won’t dismantle our whole operation like you did with them.”

“Ateez.”

He just nodded and finally walked in. Hyejin flinched as he got nearer, pushing her body farther into the headboard, breath caught in her throat. He took a seat in the chair by the foot of the bed, though the ongoing panic she felt wasn’t soothed in the least by that.

“I can’t say I won’t hurt you,” his voice was filled with either pity or understanding, words sharp and drilling into her brain despite the lack of intent on his voice, “that is up to you and the information you’re willing to share.”

“W-what information?”

“What happened yesterday… I had a dream about it before it happened.”

Hyejin tried to hold her tongue, she was still afraid of him -shocked by his words- but her mouth was faster than her brain and the snarky comment left her lips before she could process it. “Dream about murdering people often?”

It was a stupid move given her situation, but somehow she had sounded braver than she felt. She received just a glare in return, perhaps he really wanted her alive.

“Only after it’s happened,” he answered drily, a sore hint of remorse in his eyes, “but never before. Until now.”

She had dreamt about that too, before. She remembered waking up short of breath the previous day, reaching for her throat but finding nothing there. Today had been quite different, and the fact that they had both dreamt about it sent chills down her spine. He must’ve noticed her discomfort, a curious gaze replacing the spite of minutes ago.

“I didn’t notice right away, but everything happened exactly like it had in the dream. Everything except for that moment when you looked back. Why did you look back?”

“Women alone at night always look behind. Survival 101.”

“Are you telling me it was sheer luck?” he seemed sceptical, as if she had blown some theory on his mind that was now shaking on its foundation.

“Does this look like luck to you?” she bit her tongue this time, though a little late. He had been patient so far, but she really didn’t want to find out his tipping point. She knew her quick tongue would get her killed someday, she just hoped someday was still years farther into the future.

He didn’t seem to mind her tone, trapped in his own thoughts, eyes fixed on her.

“But you recognised me, I saw it in your face. You knew what was gonna happen.”

He was right, but Hyejin didn’t want to give him that. What the hell was going on? Why were they talking about dreams when she was tied and kidnapped? Where was he going with all of this? What was going on in his head?

“Why didn’t you do it?” she forced herself to ask. Her instincts screamed from the inside that reminding him of his original purpose was the last thing she should be doing, but she needed to know. She needed to know if there was a way out of this, and perhaps his answer would provide some kind of hint.

Annoyance took over the previous confusion on his face. She had poked somewhere that mattered, and for some reason that made her feel like it wasn’t all lost. Suddenly, she had hope of making it out of that situation alive. He had weak spots, she just needed to figure out which those were before he decided keeping her alive wasn’t worth that much trouble.

“I need you to tell me the truth,” he insisted, words stern and definite. “Did you have a dream about what was going to happen or not?”

What if she told the truth? What was he expecting to get from this? Why wasn’t she equally concerned about sharing dreams with this psycho? “Why are you so concerned about that?” She asked instead.

“That dream made me go against orders. You’re still alive.” His eyes were piercing through her, but there was a hint of desperation in them, something like pleading? “I must have seen it all beforehand for a reason. There must be an explanation to it, and you’re the only other person involved. The only reason you’re still alive is because I want to figure out what this connection we have is.”

“Connection?” Hyejin muttered, more to herself than for his ear. “You think we are connected… how?”

“That’s what I would like to find out. Is it destiny throwing you right into my hit list? Is it some sort of mental connection on some unconscious level? I have no clue, but your side of the story could help clear that up.”

“So if I told you what you want to hear, played along… then what? Would I be free?”

“You’d be alive. That’s the most you can afford right now.”

It wasn’t. That couldn’t be it. Hyejin needed something to secure her way out of there, and right then and there it was keeping her dreams to herself. “Then I guess it’s in my best interest if you never find out. Get out before I scream and wake the whole building.”

“I could kill you before you make a sound,” he threatened, eyes dark and dangerous. She felt weak, but she pushed it aside, gathering the confirmation that there was people near as a small victory.

“I know for a fact that’s true, but if you wanted me dead you would’ve done it already.” Hyejin rubbed her neck where the thread mark was now a color purple. That made him look away. Was that shame?

“You have two hours to decide whether you talk or you die.” He stood up and left without another word, slamming the door behind him and leaving her alone with her fear.

120 minutes had never, in Hyejin’s life, felt shorter. Her wrists burned where the rope had bit into her skin, her attempts at getting them loose a discouraging failure. She was sweating from the effort, the droplets of sweat blending with the dried tears from her initial anxiety attack. She was a mess, mentally and physically, but her struggle spared some room for calm when the door opened and her kidnapper walked in once again. She needed to keep her head cool in front of him, treat the situation as the mind game it was and pray to stay afloat long enough for him to grant a way out of there.

“Well, what do you have to say?”

“I’ll tell you about my dream. You can ask whatever you want and I’ll answer, no lies.”

“That’s it?”

“I would like my life intact, in exchange.” He must’ve been expecting that, since he showed no reaction at all. “But also, and before I give you anything, I want to know who gave me up.”

“Thought you’d never ask” he said, head tilting slightly as he examined her from afar. “Though you do realise this is not a negotiation, right? I’ll get you a name, but first we’ll talk about these dreams.”

“You’ve got me kidnapped and most likely will kill me at some point, even if you won’t say it outright. I would like to know who got me here before that happens. Please.”

He seemed to care, her words had surely made a dent on his resolution. His shame slipped for the second time, another weakness Hyejin would explore further if given the chance.

“I should’ve just killed you” he muttered. He grabbed a piece of cloth and walked over to her.

Her eyes shot open like plates, terrified as she wathched him get near. She thought it was all over, but the cloth didn’t strain her neck, just her mouth. He secured the gag and left the room, turning off the light and leaving her to shake off her terror in the dark.


End file.
